DERRY TWP., Pa. - The school district's board of directors got an earful from parents Monday calling for tougher standards on who drives children to and from school.
The calls come after Archie Wright, a driver for the subcontractor BOYO Transportation who drove a route for the district, was arrested for the murder of Tomicka Stubbs last week.
Those parents included Maryanne Bayoumy, who told the board Monday that Wright drove her young son earlier this year. Wright reportedly had a criminal background that should have prevented him from being hired as a school bus driver.
"I don't understand how a convicted criminal like Mr. Wright was allowed by our school district leadership to be alone with my son and other students on a daily basis," she said.
Surveillance video showed Wright also used his school van to destroy evidence, as he reportedly threw a pair of bloody boots into the Susquehanna River, police said.
"It is unacceptable for a school district to suggest they are not involved in transportation," Bayoumy said. " there should be a designated person in the district to report these issues rather than telling parents to contact a private van company."
Parents urged the board of directors to hold off on approving changes to a policy on child abuse because of the case. The board went ahead and approved it anyway, but several members promised action in light of what happened, saying the district reviews clearances for subcontractors every five years.
"We can take this up maybe as a committee, or the whole board maybe looking at clearances, requiring clearances at a greater frequency from contractors," board President Brian Shiflett said. "But we don't want to just rush in and do that."
Parents said they are frustrated that getting clearance to volunteer at school is seemingly more difficult than the process for subcontractors, and want that to change.
"It's very easy to say that safety is a top priority for the children in our care, but putting those words into action has proven very disappointing in this matter," Tracy Brown, a parent, said.
Wright faces a preliminary hearing on Thursday.